Our story begins at camp. We met one summer while working at an all-girls sleepaway camp in Massachusetts, and were married in 2003. After 12 summers returning to camp together, rising through the ranks to eventually become year-round Assistant Director and Program Director, it was time for a camp of our own: Camp Kippewa. We made the move to Kippewa in 2008, bringing along our newborn son Aidan. A few years later we welcomed our second son, Brett, and in 2015 our family of five was rounded out with a baby girl named Courtney. 

Of course, there’s a little more to the story.

Ginger: I grew up on Vashon Island, one of the islands in the Puget Sound outside Seattle. Growing up in the woods and near the beach, I started attending camps as a child and spent my spare time swimming, boating, playing softball, soccer and basketball. I also competed on the women’s crew team at the University of Washington where I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology. Afterward, I pursued a masters in Occupational Therapy from Boston University, and worked as a children’s O.T. for a Seattle-area school district before entering the camping profession full-time.

Steve: I grew up in Hamilton, New Zealand, surrounded by boats and waterskiing. I first learned to ski when I was 5 years old and a few years later started competing internationally in barefoot waterskiing. My dad was NZ’s junior national team coach so my family spent as much time as possible on the water. Over the years I earned national age group championships and even set a national record! I received my bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from a New Zealand university before traveling to the US to work at camp. Along the way I found a love of camp, a passion for working with children, and even met my future wife! I really can’t imagine my life taking any other pathway.

Now entering our 30th camp summer, between the two of us we have held just about every position you can imagine. What started with being campers to becoming bunk counselors to lakefront directors and head counselors to staffing director to program and assistant directors has turned into becoming camp directors who wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!